Ink
by SirGawain99
Summary: Dean Winchester gets a tattoo. Things get interesting. Years later, things get messy. The sequel to this, Wake Up, is up now!
1. A Chance Meeting

**Excalibur Tattoo Parlor, 2001**

"So, have you ever gotten a tattoo before?"

Dean opened his eyes, looking down at the focused artist. "Uh no, no." He was tense, his jaw set and gripping the arms of the chair. The artist was calm, and the woman at the front desk was cracking her gum, seeming to not have a care in the world.

"I can tell you know. I mean dude look at yourself. You look like you're about to explode," he said with a slight laugh. "I haven't even finished the design yet. You still have time to back out."

A laugh left Dean, sharp as a dagger. The idea of backing out of something so minor compared to the pain he faced on a daily basis was a joke. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Then why the nervousness, I'm a nice enough guy," the artist said, raising his eyebrows. "Is it the needles?"

"No, nothing stupid like that," Dean said and frowned, shaking his head. It was the fact that it was permanent, and it was something that was undeniably him. 11.8.83. To most they were meaningless numbers, but to him they were his call to work, to hunt.

"So Dean, I made a couple designs. I mean you did just give me numbers which is weird," the artist said and looked at Dean. Everything about this was a bit weird to him. It wasn't everyday that people walked in without an appointment and asked for a tattoo that was just a series of numbers. He was used to tattooing dates of course, birthdays, births, deaths, and weddings were all common, yet the last tended to get covered up soon after it was made. However he wasn't used to being glared at so aggressively simply for asking what the date meant. Most were happy to share, but from what he could tell so far the man sitting in the chair in front of him was anything but the average person. It was with some hesitance that he slid his designs over.

The first was gothic lettering, fairly common in tattoos. The second was a swirling lettering, a more feminine choice but then again the artist knew nothing of Dean. the last was unique, looking like it had been crudely carved into wood with a knife.

"That one," Dean said with little hesitation, jabbing his finger at the third design.

"Okay, and where are we gonna put this beauty?"

"My leg, right here," Dean said, setting his hand on the outer side of his left calf. "How much am I going to owe you for this uh…"

The artist raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? I told you my name when you came in."

"Yeah, of course! Just one more time?"

The artist rolled his eyes, not going to put on a show of faux politeness for a man who had barged in and not even bothered to remember his name. "Oliver, my name is Oliver."

Dean nodded and rolled up his pant leg, then leaned back in the chair, setting his jaw. His eyes were closed again, and Oliver couldn't help but roll his.

"Jesus man you're more dramatic than the teenagers who come in here. Just talk to me or something, all right?"

"Sure, sure." A long pause. "The music in here is shit."

Oliver looked up and raised his eyebrows, not responding for a moment. It was classical music, Bach if he was hearing correctly, and certainly not "shit." He didn't expect everyone to share his music taste, but certainly not to openly bash it. "Yeah? What sort of stuff do you like then?"

"Good music for one. Classic rock you know?"

"Yeah? What bands?"

"Led Zeppelin is probably my-"

"I haven't heard a single one of their songs in my life," Oliver interrupted, looking up at Dean and giving him a smirk that was almost proud.

"What?"

"Yeah, I don't really like rock. I mean who the hell do you think picks out the music in here?" Oliver asked with a laugh, gesturing around them with one hand.

Dean went silent again, and Oliver simply focused on his work. Maybe a more average approach was needed. "So, got a girlfriend?"

"Hm? No," Dean said and looked down at Oliver.

"Boyfriend then?"

"No! I'm not… not that it's wrong I'm just… not. It's okay if you are, obviously. Are you going to get started soon?"

Oliver laughed softly, smiling a little. It was a typical reaction, and one he was used to at this point. "I did, right when I told you that I've never heard a Zeppelin song. I figured the shock would distract you. I am by the way, gay. You seemed to wanted to make sure I know how okay that is."

Dean shifted slightly, clearing his throat. "Well yeah, you know. It just isn't for me."

Oliver nodded, humming a bit as he worked. "So Dean, what are you in town for? Not that I know everyone in town, but you're in the middle of nowhere in New Jersey. You seem like a somebody."

"I'm FBI, can't talk about what I'm doing," Dean responded, a prepared lie. After all his line of work required that.

"Really? So I've got a cute young FBI agent with me," Oliver teased, smirking. "Not every day."

"Hey listen, I already told you-"

"I know, but hey, it's an observation," Oliver said. "Would you rather I call you ugly?"

Dean raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Guess not…"

"Any siblings?" Oliver asked as he worked, figuring a topic change might help Dean ease up. It seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Just one, Sam. I don't talk to him though."

"Why not?"

"It wasn't my choice. What about you?"

Oliver shrugged. "There's my little sister Jade, she has to be… I think she's fifteen now. Still a kid. It's been awhile since I've seen her."

"Why's that?"

"Not my choice either."

There was nothing said until the tattoo was finished, and then it was simply Oliver explaining how to care for it. The last thing he wanted was for the tattoo to end up a mess.

"So Mister FBI agent, you got any plans for the rest of the night?" Oliver asked, standing and rubbing his hands on his pants.

"No, your town sucks," Dean replied, pulling on his leather jacket and looking at Oliver.

"Why don't we grab some drinks? It's late and I know some places that don't suck."

"They aren't like… you know…"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I don't think I would take the most aggressively straight man I have ever met in my life even if I was being paid to. Anyway this is a shitty town, we don't even have a gay bar," Oliver said and walked out the door, gesturing for Dean to follow. "Bye Janice!" He waved at the woman at the front who didn't glance up, and shut the door.

Oliver took a moment, just looking at Dean. He was taller and more muscular than Oliver, and even if he said he was straight Oliver couldn't deny the fact that he was a looker. Soft looking lip, amazing eyes, who wouldn't find that attractive? "So, drinking?"

Dean hesitated. It wasn't his style to go out with a stranger. Generally he just went alone, found whoever was willing for the night, then went on his way. Oliver was someone he barely knew, hell barely got along with, and he was actually considering it. "Why not," he eventually grunted out, figuring it was better than spending the night shoving quarters into the magic fingers at the motel waiting for Dad to get back.

Oliver beamed. "Let's go then."

The one trait that Dean and Oliver seemed to share was a love of alcohol. Dean was drinking a beer while Oliver did a shot of something pink and oddly fruity smelling. "Man you are really playing into some sort of stereotype," Dean said, tilting the bottle up and taking another drink.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oliver said, pulling an exaggerated offended face, that made him look more like a pouting toddler than anything.

"You are doing shots of the girlies drink I have ever seen, and I'm pretty sure you're wearing eyeliner."

"Okay, first these are fucking delicious, unlike that nasty shit, and second I'm totally wearing eyeliner, I look fucking fantastic," Oliver retorted. He stared at Dean for a moment. "You look fantastic too."

"Again, not gay," Dean said and shook his head at the artist.

Oliver reached over and ran his thumb over Dean's lips, smirking a little. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was because Dean was the first guy he had seen in months who wasn't a total jackass, but he wasn't going to pass this up if there was even the slightest chance. "Not even a little?" he slurred out, raising an eyebrow.

Dean froze, stiffening at Oliver's touch. He opened his mouth to say anything but before he could Oliver spoke again.

"I mean it's not like I know you. All you are is Mister FBI, and I'm pretty sure if I call and ask for the cute agent it'll take awhile…" Oliver let out a little hum, realizing maybe he was more heavily intoxicated than originally planned. "If not feel free to slap me man."

It wasn't like Dean hadn't been curious. He could say with full certainty that he wasn't gay, there were plenty of chicks he liked, but it was getting harder and harder for him to say he was straight. He grabbed Oliver by the wrist and pulled him outside, pinning him to a wall. "Like you said, no consequences."

"Well less that and more-" Oliver never had the chance to finish the thought before he was caught up in those damn lips Dean had. Just a few hours before he was thinking what a pity it was that he wouldn't ever get to experience them and now he was getting lost in them outside a shitty bar in a shitty town. His hands moved from his sides to delicately touching Dean's hips, past the jacket, flannel, and shirt for a band that sounded decidedly fake to Oliver and just brushing his fingers against his skin.

In a moment they broke away, breathing heavily. "My place isn't far from here we could-"

"Sounds good," Dean replied, clearing his throat and looking around quickly to make sure no one had seen the spontaneous and very public kiss.

"Oh sugar don't worry, we both know you'll be gone tomorrow," Oliver said and cupped his cheek, giving Dean a bittersweet smile.

Oliver woke up in his bed the next day alone. His head was pounding, it was nearly noon, and if it weren't for the fact he felt amazing despite this he would be convinced that last night hadn't happened. It wouldn't… couldn't happen again. Dean was gone, yet Oliver was left with a nagging, almost painful feeling that he hadn't seen the last of Dean.


	2. Again

Years had past. Dean continued with his life, worked cases, went through hell literally and figuratively, both too many times to count. It seemed to be only a matter of time before he ended up back in the New Jersey town that he had visited when he was still considered a young man. He had changed, lost his father and regained his brother. He wondered if Oliver had ever seen his sister again.

He wondered if he would see Oliver again.

"So, what are we looking for again?" Dean asked, turning to look at his brother.

"People are dying, no one knows why. Nothing really weird yet." There hadn't been much for them to do lately, and both of them, Dean especially, had been itching to get back to work. "Didn't you and dad come here for something?"

"Yeah, vampire coven, ages ago," Dean said, running a hand over his face, feeling the stubble that tugged as he did so. "Think it could be them again?"

"No, these people are coming in looking like there's nothing wrong with them."

"But they're dead," Dean said and raised his eyebrows.

The first step, as always, was to go look at the bodies. There were things that stood out to them that no doctor would ever think to look for. When they arrived it was just a woman sitting there, leaning back in her chair. Dean gave Sam a look that Sam had become far too familiar with over the years, and proceeded to lean against the counter in front of the woman, smirking. "Hey," he said, putting on his usual charming voice. He flashed his very fake FBI badge at her. "We're investigating some recent deaths, think we can get back there?"

The woman looked up, giving him a cold look. "No one called saying FBI would be here."

"Well they're trying to keep this hush hush you know? With the circumstances and all."

"What circumstances? There aren't any… you know what, sure," she said, throwing her hands up slightly. She wasn't paid enough to care about someone who wanted to go stare at some fairly average corpses. She stood up and led them back, pulling out three drawers to show corpses that looked like the standard person at peace after death. "Again, nothing weird here."

"That's for us to determine, okay?" Dean said and raised his eyebrows.

"Could we please be alone now? Like he said, it's all classified," Sam said and looked over at the woman, who just nodded and left.

They did the usual, checking the teeth, necks, areas of the body prone to the supernatural. It seemed they really was nothing until Sam spoke up.

"Hey Dean, look at this. They all have the same symbol in their tattoos," Sam said, gesturing to a twisting octagon that was hidden in the lines of other designs. "We should go check out all the local tattoo parlors, and see if there's anywhere that sells herbs. A spell like this would need more than just a tattoo."

Dean nodded, although he wasn't too enthused about going around to tattoo parlors. The idea of seeing Oliver stung, after all what did you say to someone you hadn't seen in ages and had only known a day? More likely than not Oliver didn't even remember him, and Dean couldn't tell if he thought that idea was worse or not. "Yeah, sounds good," he said, turning to walk out. He paused, looking to the woman at the counter and giving her his same smile. "Hey my partner here is kind of a health nut, you know anywhere around here that sells natural remedies?"

"Like Whole Foods?" she said and looked up, raising her eyebrows.

"I was thinking something a bit more, independent, you know? He's really careful," he said, much to the annoyance of Sam. "Maybe somewhere he could even get stuff to make his own stuff."

"I guess there's Lewis' Herbs and Crystals, but they're really into all that mystical crap over there, so I wouldn't bother if you're looking for something real," she said and shrugged. "They make really good soaps though, the lavender rosemary is lovely."

"Thanks," he said and smiled, walking out with Sam. "Herbs and crystals? That place is going to be crawling with witches."

It was around ten at night by now. Collecting the names of all the employees from tattoo parlors was an easier task than confronting possibly dangerous witches when they barely knew what was going on.

It made no sense for such a small town to have five tattoo parlors. There couldn't be that big of a demand. Maybe it was because the rest of the town was so damn shitty that people had to get their kicks getting ink stabbed into their skin.

Dean picked up the list, glancing at the names. One was a pun about needles, another something that seemed like a local joke, and one he hesitated at. Excalibur. "So I'll go through these and you look for that symbol?" he said, obviously not looking for an answer and settling into his work.

It took hours, going through every secretary, artist, and owner that each store had. Some had been convicted of crimes, but none really stood out as killers, especially not with the artists. He went through, parlor by parlor, until he reached the one he saved for last.

You knew him one night, he reminded himself as his eyes scanned over the employees, and he finished the list, realizing not a single one was named Oliver. He looked over the list again, and realized not even a single one had a first or middle name beginning with O. It had been years, why had he expected Oliver to stay stagnant in that one place?

"Find anything?" Sam asked eventually, looking up from where he was working.

"Nothing, doesn't seem like any of these people have done anything worse than get into a bar fight," Dean said and sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You?"

"I can't find this symbol anywhere," Sam said and looked at Dean. "So we go to that shop tomorrow and find that symbol, okay?"

Dean nodded, pushing Oliver to the back of his mind for now. Old flings could be revisited when people weren't dying.

"Welcome to Lewis' Herbs and Crystals, anything we can help you with today?" The woman was beaming, a painfully artificial look. Dark hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a uniform with the name of the shop, and a nametag that read "Jade".

"Hi, have you seen anyone acting strange lately?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Uh… I'm sorry who are you? If you need any help with products I can help, but I can't discuss other customers with you," she said and frowned, narrowing her eyes at the strangers.

Dean flashed his badge at her, but before he could tuck it back into his coat Jade had pulled it out of his hand, and was looking at it. "Hey! You can't-"

"Take a fake badge from a fake FBI agent?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Do you think I'm stupid? Who the hell are you people?"

Dean and Sam both shifted uncomfortably, looking between each other. This woman was significantly smaller than both of them, and that meant that she was either an idiot, or had no reason to be afraid of two men.

Sam stepped forward, deciding to take the lead. "Miss please, we're just trying to-"

"I don't care, you need to get out," she said, pointing to the door.

The brothers looked at each other, and made a silent decision that they would handle this later. Once they were outside and walking back to the hotel Dean looked at Sam, raising his eyebrows. "She was definitely hiding something. I say we get in there tonight, grab anything that looks important, and figure this out."

Sam nodded. Maybe this would be as easy as killing a sadistic witch. Granted he didn't like killing witches, they were more human than the other monsters they hunted, and even then he hoped there was a chance for some of them. "Do you think that woman is connected?"

"I think that whole place might be connected."

Breaking in went better than expected. The alarm system of the shop was primitive at best, and easily disabled.

"Dean, over there," Sam said, pointing to a back room that was separate from the rest of the shop.

The room was full of file cabinets, and a few scattered boxes full of papers. The brothers began to go through them as quietly as possible.

"Dean do you hear that?" Sam said, freezing. There was a sound like a small motor that was approaching. Being caught now could be a disaster, if they being hunted by police they couldn't be in the area, and more people would die. He looked at his brother with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's a major threat," Dean said, gesturing to the black cat that had recently appeared in the doorway. "Witches and black cats man, what the hell?"

The next sound was more concerning however, and less confusing than a cat who didn't know how to purr right. Footsteps, clumsy and unsteady were heading down stairs. "Midnight? Kitty where did you go?"

The brothers looked at each other with wide eyes. No one was supposed to be there. They turned off their flashlights and went silent, both hoping that they wouldn't be caught.

The woman from before, Jade was there, wearing pajamas and looking as if she had just been pulled out of bed. She picked up the cat, murmuring to it in a baby voice. "Why did you come down here sweetie? There's nothing going on down…" She stopped, staring into the darkness. It was silent for a moment, then her face shifted from sleepy neutrality to a very awake horror. She turned to run, but Sam grabbed her wrist and pulled her over, holding a hand over her mouth, but not before a short scream could leave her. The cat hissed, taking off running back up the stairs.

"Jade?! Jade are you all right?" Someone else was coming, and they were running. "Jade?!"

Dean tensed in preparation, pulling out his gun. However when he saw who had ran down the stairs now he froze, eyes going wide.

"Oliver?"


	3. Explain

The two locked eyes for a moment, clearly shocked to see each other. In that time it felt as if they were the only two people there, but a scream coming from Sam shook them out of it.

"She bit me!" he exclaimed, gesturing to Jade, who was glaring at him with eyes that said she wished she had done more than cause minor damage to his ring finger.

"You wouldn't take your hand off my damn mouth asshole!" She had jerked away, and stood at Oliver's side. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close for a moment. "I'm okay Ollie, they didn't hurt me. They are the fake FBI agents Mars warned us about though."

"You knew about us?" Sam said, stepping forward. "Who's Mars?"

"The woman you met at the morgue. She's a witch who specializes in seeing through deception, like fake badges. She was worried about you two so she warned us. After all hunters are just so good with witches," Oliver said, glaring a little bit, more at Dean.

Dean shifted, looking away from Oliver. "Yeah well…"

"Wait Dean you know him?" Sam said, turning to look at his brother. Jade looked up at Oliver, having questions on her mind as well.

"Why don't we all head upstairs? We can talk this out," Oliver said, frowning. Without waiting for a response he began to walk upstairs, pulling Jade along. The cat padded along behind the both of them faithfully.

The brothers followed them, and once they opened the door at the top of the stairs they were in a cozy apartment. Sam could count at least ten candles that he could see in the vicinity, a few books scattered on a coffee table, and the black cat had jumped up to join an orange cat on the couch. Jade fell back on the couch, letting out a sigh, and Oliver sat on the other end.

"Come, sit," Oliver said, gesturing to two free chairs.

The brothers sat; Dean leaning back in his chair and Sam sitting on the very edge, his elbows resting on his thighs.

Dean looked at Oliver, seeing all the differences the years had made. He was older now, that much was obvious. More tattoos covered him, looking like they threatened to take over his entire body. His hair, which Dean had already considered long when they met, was around his shoulders now. That was all superficial though, and when he looked at Oliver's eyes he was tired, not just because he had been woken up in the middle of the night.

"You done staring Dean? Because I think you have a lot of explaining to do," Oliver said, raising his eyebrows.

"Me? I thought you were a tattoo artist! The hell is this place?" Dean said, louder than intended, causing Jade to flinch.

Oliver looked over at her quickly, quietly reassuring her. "I was a tattoo artist almost a decade ago Dean. Were you actually an FBI agent then or were you still… this." there was no hiding the disgust in his voice as he gestured to Dean, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah Oliver, it's just awful that I didn't tell you my whole damn life story. We knew each other a day man. How long have you been working with a witch?"

"You have it backwards Dean, Jade works with me. I'm the witch," he said, shaking his head. "We own this shop together, and if you're accusing me of something just hurry up with it already."

"You wanna explain why your partner here freaked out when we started asking questions?" Dean said and looked at Jade, raising an eyebrow.

"The last time there were hunters in town they tried to kill me. They thought I was a witch, and they shot me. Fucking hell if it weren't for Ollie I would have just died," she said bitterly. "So sorry I wasn't so welcoming to more hunters."

Sam and Dean both shifted uncomfortably, looking away.

"Dean listen, why are you even here?" Oliver asked, rubbing his face. "Not breaking in because you miss me right?" Even if he was stressed beyond belief he still had his sense of humor, and teasing Dean was just as enjoyable as he remembered.

"Three people are dead for no reason, you don't think that's weird? And they all have matching tattoos."

"Like this?" Oliver said, holding up his forearm to show the same octagonal symbol. Jade rolled up her pant leg, showing the symbol on her ankle. "Our friend group got them together a few years back. Trust me, uh… those people were good people. Not witches, just good people. We were trying to figure out what's happening, but… there's nothing."

"Do you think someone is targeting witches?" Sam asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

"Witches and people close to them. Like someone who doesn't know the difference, getting it mixed up," she said, fixing both Sam and Dean with a cold gaze. "Kinda funny how you two showed up right around when our friends died, huh?"

"Hey! We did not kill those people!"

"Yeah, that's convincing," Jade spat out bitterly.

"Can everyone just stop for a moment?" Oliver said, almost desperately. "Listen it's late, you two can take our guest bedroom for the night, we can sort this out in the morning. Maybe we can try not accusing each other of murder."

Jade made a noncommittal sound and walked out, her cats following behind her.

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but simply sighed and covered his face with his hands. "She's going to kill me with how she acts. I can show you two the guest room, there's two beds in it so… yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated and tired. There was too much happening, too much pain, too much of everything. He led Sam and Dean to the room, then walked out to the kitchen.

"How do you know him Dean?"

Dean hesitated. Sam knew he liked women, but the subject of how Dean felt about men wasn't something they discussed. "He's the guy who did my tattoo, we talked for awhile last time I was here."

Sam looked at Dean and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… I'm gonna look around, make sure they aren't hiding anything," Sam said.

"Sure… don't be obvious though. I'm going to talk to Oliver, see if there's anything he didn't mention," Dean said and nodded to his brother.

When he found Oliver in the kitchen he hesitated. "Uh… hey."

Oliver looked up and offered him a thin smile. "Hey Dean." He looked down, not sure where to start. "So… is that guy your brother?"

Dean smiled a little and nodded. So much had changed since the last time he had seen Oliver.

"Jade is my sister. I actually adopted her a while ago, our dad uh… shitty dad." Another pause, uncomfortable and far too long. "Too bad I wasn't working when you came in, maybe this wouldn't be all messy."

"Oh yeah, have all this shit happen just a bit earlier. Big improvement."

Oliver laughed softly, smiling at Dean. "It is nice to see you though. Cute as ever," he said with a wink. He looked Dean in the eyes, more intensely than intended. "Listen, just so I don't mess things up for you, does your brother know you're not straight?"

"No, no I never told him I guess-"

Oliver held up his hand, stopping Dean from continuing. "Listen it's really hard to come out. You don't need to explain why to me, or anyone else. When you want to, or if you want to, that's your business, no one else's. I just didn't want to out you, you know? That shit got me kicked out."

"Yeah… So, witchcraft." Oliver frowned and looked away when Dean brought up the subject. "How on earth did you get into that?"

"Oh lord you are not going to let me off the hook for this are you? Listen I learned from a friend of Jade's. She taught me some basic healing and luck spells, I started expanding, and I thought that it might be nice to make a shop for people that needed supplies, and tattoos weren't bringing in enough money. I was good, but I was also sleeping on a mattress on the floor."

"It's stupid Oliver."

"Dean you're a hunter, I don't think that you're in a place to judge what's stupid."

"Listen just because one hunter-"

"Dean my sister almost died. I know your job is dangerous, you don't have to imagine how that feels. Listen I'm going to go to bed, tell your brother to stop going through my drawers," he said. "He is dangerously close to finding some of my very personal items."

"How did you know that?"

"Dean I'm a witch, I know everything that happens in this house. Except the first floor, I should probably fix that," he said and stood. He gazed down at Dean for a moment, then cupped his cheek gently. His thumb ran across Dean's bottom lip for just a moment. "You really are amazing Dean, even you are a hunter."

Dean's breath caught in his throat, and he didn't speak as Oliver walked away.

"I swear to god if you touch that I'll chop your damn finger off."

That was the first thing said to Sam when he woke up in the morning, said by a very angry Jade who was rapidly cutting up a stick of pepperoni. There had been a look on Sam's face for just a moment, while he considered grabbing one of the slices. A finger didn't seem worth supermarket pepperoni though. A decision was made to not comment on her agitated state, and he instead just raised his eyebrows and sat down at the table. "What are you making?"

"Frittata. Eggs and lots of meat, and easy to make, since Oliver decided to double the amount of people sleeping here."

"It was only last night, it was just easier than going back to the hotel."

Jade didn't respond, and simply continued to work, mixing and chopping, eventually setting out the frittata and a bowl of fruit. Not long after Oliver and Dean came out, sitting at the table.

"So, we should work on figuring out out who's behind this. These people were definitely killed by some witch with some serious mojo," Dean said. "You two could be targets because of your tattoos."

"Could be some form of necromancy being fueled by life, using a witch's life force would make most spells just insane," Oliver said, pressing his lips together in a thin line. "This could be a lot bigger than we thought."

"I know I'm the last person who wants this, but do you think it would be better if you guys stayed here while investigating? We can work together, and it would be safer," Jade said, raising her eyebrows. "I mean I'm five feet tall, my cats are better fighters than I am."

"She has a point, and if the witch does show up here we can handle them better," Oliver added. "You two can keep using the guest room, use any books we have here, and when we aren't running the shop we'll help."

"Sounds great," Dean said and smiled, his eyes lingering on Oliver just a moment too long. He hoped that wouldn't turn into a problem. He knew it would.


	4. More

"Dean, no one in my friend group had any enemies," Oliver said, rubbing his face. "Trust me I would tell you if we did."

"I know, I thought it might just jog your memory or something."

"Could be one of Jade's three million exes," said the woman who had been at the morgue the night before. Her name was Marlow, and the symbol was tattooed on her shoulder. As it turned out she had been the witch who warned the others of the hunter's arrival, but now seemed eager to help since her friends were in danger.

"Need I remind you that you're one of those exes? Bitch," Jade said, but smiled and pushed her arm. "Anyway, none of them were witches, besides you."

"So we have no leads, no motives, and no clue what to do. Great," Sam said bitterly.

They had been at this for hours, trying to find any reason why Oliver and his friends would be targeted. There was no obvious reason, and nothing was turning up.

"Christ man, it's like you're Mother Theresa," Dean said, and Oliver could only shrug in response.

"I'll go out and grab us some food, no reason to keep working on an empty stomach," Jade said and stood up, walking out the door.

Oliver licked his lips, thinking. "Sam could you follow her? I don't want her being alone with everything going on, and if I asked while she was here… well let's just say that Jade can be very vocal about what she thinks."

"Yeah, sure," Sam said, although he wasn't enthusiastic about the idea. This same woman had just threatened to chop off his finger over a piece of pepperoni.

"Thanks!"

Sam had to jog for a moment to catch up to Jade, but stayed far enough behind that she wouldn't notice. She was taking her time, pausing to chat with people as she went along, yet she seemed tense and nervous. It was understandable, there was a good chance that someone wanted her dead.

Not long later she walked into a fast food restaurant, and he was nearly certain that he heard her apologize at least four times for ordering so much food. He ducked behind a wall when she left, then began to follow again when she had gone far enough to not take notice. Maybe he could talk to her about being more aware of her surroundings.

This train of thought dissipated however, when Sam realized that he couldn't see Jade anymore. In the span of less than a second the young woman was nowhere to be seen on a nearly empty street.

He ran in the direction she had been walking there wasn't any way she could have gone. There were no alleys, no hidden paths. Even the shops looked disturbingly free of suspicion.

It wasn't until he was moving and felt something that he couldn't see that he turned. As soon as he was looking for something he could see it, a person who had Jade held against the wall, its arm pressed against her neck. She wasn't struggling, but was simply standing there, eyes glassy and unfocused. The bags full of food had been dropped to the ground, and she was murmuring something to the thing holding her.

Sam grabbed it, and the thing whipped around and snarled. It was demonic, the eyes black, the look unnatural. However the moment Sam moved to get his gun out the thing disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The moment it was gone Jade gasped, taking in as much air as she could. She dropped to the ground, clutching her hand over her chest.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, kneeling down so he could help her back up.

She nodded weakly, leaning on him when she was finally standing again. "That… I know what it's trying to do, why it's doing this."

"Jade just stay calm, we're going to head back, we can talk there," he said, picking up the bags. He kept close as they walked, as it seemed like she might fall to the ground at a moment's notice. She almost did a few times, but he grabbed her arm.

When they got back to the home Oliver smiled and opened his mouth to greet his sister, but his eyes went dark when he saw the state that she was in. "What happened?" he asked, standing and guiding her to the couch.

"The thing that's doing this, it almost killed me. It held me against a wall and made me say these words, I don't even know what they were. I just felt like I couldn't say no, and I just kept getting weaker and weaker," she said, shaking. "I felt so weak."

"Weren't you watching her Sam?" Oliver said and looked at him, trying to hold back anger.

"I looked away for one second and it was like she was invisible," Sam said and held up his hands defensively.

"It's true Ollie, he looked right at me and he didn't see me." She was a bit angry that he had her followed, but then again that was why she was alive at the moment.

"I couldn't see it until I walked right into it," Sam said, licking his lips and drawing his brow together.

"Do you have any idea why it wanted to do that to you?" Dean asked, hoping this would lead to something that could help them. If not it was just a show of power from the monster that would do nothing to help them.

Jade looked down at her hands. "For a moment I understood what it wanted… it wants to use people with stronger souls, witches, people who have survived shit, hunters… it's a demon trying to use human souls to make itself into an angel. Dean it wanted you to come here, it wants more hunters to come."

"That isn't possible though, right? Demons can't just become angels," Dean said, as if he were reassuring himself.

"We should ask Cas, just to be sure," Sam said, horrified at the idea of a demon with the power of an angel. Separate they were a pain in the ass, together there was no telling if they would be able to stop it.

"Who's Cas?" Oliver asked, tilting his head.

"He's an angel. Cool dude, you'll like him," Dean said casually as looks of amazement grew on the faces of the others in the room.

"An angel? Like, wings and a halo and all that shit?" Marlow said, raising her eyebrows. "Can't be true."

"Well it's very true, considering we know him," Dean said in a matter of fact voice, raising his eyebrows.

"Could we talk to him?" Jade asked quickly, before Marlow could make another comment. "I mean even if he can't help he could tell us if it's possible, be some help." She shifted, smiling faintly. The idea of seeing an angel excited her, she had been religious her whole life, but quietly so.

"Sure, but it's not like he just comes whenever I ask him-"

"Dean?" There was a man standing to the side of the room, near Marlow. Marlow and the siblings jumped, shocked to see him. "You called for me. Who are these people?"

"Cas, this is Oliver, Jade and Marlow," Dean said, gesturing to each in turn. "There's something going on we think you could help with."

"Dean, two of these people are witches."

Dean paused for a moment, just taking a breath. "He's an old friend, even if he is a witch. Jade can explain why you're here."

"Hello," Jade said softly, giving a little wave. She still looked faintly wrong, like a part of her had been ripped away. "Uh… the short is that there's a demon who's taking human souls and trying to get stronger. He almost took mine not long ago, but Sam stopped him. I think he's trying to become an angel, using human souls as power."

Castiel looked at her in the same intense fashion he looked at everyone with. He was familiar with her, nightly prayers since she was ten, stopping occasionally but mostly steady. "Grace is what makes me an angel, a demon couldn't get that from human souls."

"We didn't think so, but that thing is a lot more powerful than the average demon," Sam said. "It was invisible until I knew it was there."

Jade nodded in agreement. "It was powerful. I couldn't move or scream, I…" She lowered her head, rubbing her face. "It was terrifying."

"Your soul is weak from this, I can see that. You should rest," Castiel said, gazing at Jade with his intense blue eyes.

Jade nodded, although she didn't move from her place on the couch. She felt the safest next to her brother at the moment, and it was the only place where she felt she could relax, much less rest. "There's a lot of work to be done, figuring this thing out I suppose. I should help, even if I do feel a bit out of it. That's no reason to be lazy."

Oliver stood. "I'm going down to the shop, I'm going to cast some protection spells. Dean if you need anything for sigils I can help you find that as well," Oliver said, motioning for the other man to follow him, even if he didn't need anything for the sigils, honestly not knowing if Dean were going to be making any sigils.

As soon as they were away from the others Oliver embraced Dean, hugging him tightly. He was shaking, something that he hadn't been doing before. "I'm scared man," he mumbled into Dean's chest.

Dean stiffened at the contact. He wrapped his arms around Oliver awkwardly. "It's gonna be alright Oliver, I promise."

"And then you'll be gone again. Dean I... I know we haven't known each other but fucking hell you drive me crazy. I thought about you over a month the last time we met, and now I'm seeing you again, and you're you, and... it's hard to focus when someone like you is around," Oliver said, pouring out much of what had been building in his mind.

A hunter's life didn't allow one to make any friends. It didn't allow for relationships. Yet Dean looked down at Oliver, and wanted just that. He was shorter than the hunter, so Dean held him close to his chest. "We'll deal with that later okay? Right now let's focus on not dying," Dean said softly, unable to confront what he was feeling in a real way. "But you know I can't set my life aside for you Oliver."

"I know but..." Oliver pulled Dean close and kissed him, damning the consequences. It was slow and sweet, so different from the last kiss they had shared. He took his time with Dean, waiting for him to return the kiss before continuing. Then he deepened it, plunging his tongue into Dean's mouth, pushing in and receding like the tides. Fingers dug into Dean's hips, although not roughly. It was possessive and passionate.

He pressed Dean against the counter, mumbling an apology when they hit the register. Lips trailed down Dean's neck, lavishing every exposed inch of him with attention. When he tired of that he popped open two of the buttons on Dean's shirt and trailed kisses down, running his hands along Dean's torso. He relished the quivering moan that he elicited from the other the heat of things he pressed his leg up between Dean's, making Dean straddle his thigh. During the continued kisses he felt Dean grind down on his thigh, and a heady moan left him as well. "God Dean, you're so fucking perfect. Every damn inch of you." Before things went too far he broke away from Dean, leaving him leaned against the countertop, shirt askew with a dazed look on his face. "I want you Dean Winchester. That isn't gonna change.

Dean stared at him, clearing his throat as they broke away from each other. "Yeah uh... let's get the stuff and get back up there okay?" he said, looking down to try to hide the blush that covered his face and failing miserably. Oliver simply laughed under his breath, pleased with his work.

When they arrived back upstairs everyone had begun to chat, although it was clear that Castiel was sticking close to Sam as he was the familiar one there.

"What took you guys so long?" Marlow asked, raising an eyebrow. "Were you making out?" She seemed to think it was funny, although she had no idea just how accurate that was.

"Oh shut up Mars. You wanna help me protect this place?" Oliver said, gesturing to the supplies for his spell.

"I would love to sugar but my shift at the morgue starts in twenty. I'll see you later okay?" she said, not waiting for a response before leaving.

"Jade your friend is a bitch."

"She's your friend too!"

"Not right now she isn't."


	5. Prepare

"You wanna know what I wanna do to you?" Oliver said lazily, his head on Dean's lap. Everyone else was asleep, but they were awake, keeping watch. Even if Oliver had insisted that the spells he had cast and the sigils on the walls would keep them safe, Jade and Sam had both insisted that there be some form of night shift.

"What's that?" Dean said, moving pieces of Oliver's hair through his fingers slowly, just enjoying the intimacy of it all. The night was still, and it was easy to feel like they were the only people in the world. Maybe they were.

"Love and cherish you," Oliver said, voice drowsy and sweet. "Just like, forever."

"You're a damn sap."

"You're the one cuddling with a damn sap, so by proxy, you are sap yourself." Oliver tapped Dean's nose lightly, just beaming up at him.

Dean rolled his eyes at Oliver, just smiling now. It wasn't too bad staying up all night if it meant they could have some alone time. They were sleeping in shifts, taking turns staying up all night. The daytime would be hell, but Sam and Jade would be keeping the next shift, and Marlow the next. Hopefully by that point they would be done with the case. Yet that held its own sadness. He didn't want to leave Oliver again, especially since it was so damn good this time.

Oliver shifted, pressing his face into Dean's stomach. "I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm taking a nap," he mumbled softly, and before Dean could respond he was fast asleep. All the Hunter could do was smile and keep him close.

"You know the whole point of having two of you on the night shift is so you could wake each other up, not just use each other as pillows," Sam said and folded his arms, looking at Dean and Oliver like a disapproving mother.

"In my defense-"

"No defense Ollie, we all could have died horribly since you two were both asleep," Jade said, sharing Sam's expression of disapproval.

"Jade, he's a hunter, turn on him!" Oliver said, trying not to laugh. "Listen the sigils are enough to keep us safe, just because you guys don't trust my spells or the sigils doesn't mean they aren't working."

Neither of the younger siblings seemed amused by Oliver's reasoning. "Ollie, as much as I haven't gotten along with Sam, I'm not going to change my opinion just because we agree on something."

"Jade and I were going to go to the library to do some research on this," Sam said, making the executive decision to change the topic. "Cas thinks taking in the human souls could have changed what we need to do to the demon."

"That, and the library is next to a Chipotle," Jade added, smiling.

"That place is terrible for you," Sam said quietly, shaking his head a little. "We'll be there if you need us."

"We should come with you," Dean said, stepping forward to grab his coat, but Sam stopped him.

"Someone needs to stay here in case that demon shows up," Sam said. It didn't help he was already angry with Dean and Oliver. He had found them both asleep on the couch, Oliver cuddled up. It would have been sweet if they hadn't had the one job of staying awake.

Jade said a quick goodbye to her brother and left with Sam, humming softly to herself as they walked. Over the last day the two had begun to get along better, Jade no longer was distrustful of him, especially since he had saved her life, and they had found a mutual love of knowledge. It made them a good team for researching.

With a small grunt Jade dropped a stack of books down on the table they had occupied at the library. "Well, let's get started then," she said, a bit of weariness in her eyes as she looked at the stack of books.

Sam made two piles of books. One was books that were actually useful, the other were books that were likely made more for entertainment than knowledge. He passed Jade a few books, and quietly began his work.

"It's just great that there isn't any record of this ever happening before. Just dandy," Jade said after about two hours of useless searching.

"Dandy?"

"I'm tired Sam, I'm going to use old fashioned slang," she said stubbornly.

He smiled at her, letting out a little laugh. "Yeah, okay. Why don't we go get something to eat?" He stood up, and Jade followed taking a book with her. She said something to the librarian as an excuse to take the book.

Even as they began to eat their food she seemed engrossed in the book. "I think there's something here, talking about souls and stuff… Okay, so for every human soul, blah blah blah…" She kept scanning, then froze. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Sam asked, brows pinching together.

"How much experience with gods do you have? Like not Christian?"

"Some tried to eat Dean and I once."

"What?!" Jade exclaimed, staring at him on horror for a moment. "Nevermind I guess though, because this demon isn't becoming an angel, it's going to become one of those bastards of it gets anymore souls."

"Are you sure?" Sam said, voice tense. When Jade nodded to confirm they both hurried out the door, Jade clutching the book to her chest.

"Oh my god," Jade said suddenly as they got to the shop.

"What is it?!"

"We didn't check the book out," Jade said, seemingly mortified.

Sam stared at her a moment, and upon seeing the faint smirk on her lips he let out a small laugh. "Not funny," he said.

"It was kinda funny," she muttered as they entered the living space.

It didn't take long to get everyone caught up. There was a silence as they all realized that they would going up against a demon approaching godhood.

"Oliver you know anywhere that a demon would be able to hide? You two said that thing didn't look human, right?" Dean said, turning to Jade and Sam who both nodded in confirmation.

"Like it was corrupting its vessel," Sam said.

"There's an old warehouse, on the outskirts of town," Oliver said. "I could show it to you, but I'm guessing if we do that we should get ready for a fight."

"We? No, Sam and I are doing this Oliver. You aren't a hunter," Dean said, shaking his head. "It wouldn't be safe."

"I'm a witch, I can handle myself in a fight Dean," he said defensively.

"I've been a hunter since I was a kid, you haven't even known about this shit for ten years," Dean said, narrowing his eyes. "Let us do our damn job."

Oliver shook his head, rubbing his face. It was more annoying than anything else. "You know what, let's get supplies and talk about this later," Oliver said, walking down to the shop without saying another word. Sam followed after him, but Jade stopped Dean.

"Dean I know about you and Oliver," she said, looking up at him.

"How? He said he wouldn't tell anyone," he said, still angry.

"He didn't, but he's my brother. I know what he looks like when he likes someone," she said, her voice soft and gentle. "Just don't let the fact that you care about each other get in the way of what we're doing."

Dean nodded, pushing past her to go downstairs. Jade followed close behind.

It didn't take long to get their supplies together, and as Dean stepped towards the door Oliver stopped him. "I'm coming with you," he said firmly.

Dean opened his mouth to protest, then stopped. "Fine, just don't get in our way," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Oliver beamed at him, his eyes lighting up. "Of course," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"I'm coming too," Jade piped up.

"No, you are not. You're tiny as hell, and I am honestly not sure if you're even an adult," Dean said, vaguely gesturing to the whole of her.

"I'm fucking thirty. Listen, you'll need a distraction, and it'll be vulnerable when it tries to drain me. If this thing is as powerful as you all seem to think it is, you're going to need a distraction, or at least something."

"Can you promise she'll be safe?" Oliver asked.

"Oh so you're allowed to be a reckless idiot, but I can't? Get over yourself Oliver," Jade said and walked out. The brothers just shrugged at Oliver. The elder Lewis sibling knew there was no stopping the younger anyway.

One hour. That's how long it took them to get to the warehouse. Just being beat it made Oliver feel sick to his stomach. The evil radiating from the place was visceral.

"So, you ready?"

Oliver looked down, at the warehouses, then at his own hands. Then he looked at Dean. "With you? Yeah."


	6. The End

Jade stood alone in the warehouse, holding her flashlight out defensively. Her only armor was her ratty jean jacket, her weapon a cone of light that occasionally flickered, her bravery only coming from the faith she had in the people outside. "Hello? Come out you bastard!" she shouted, trying to hide the way that her voice was shaking.

She waited a moment longer, and wondered if they even had the right location. After all they weren't sure, it was just a gut feeling. That feeling was quickly confirmed when her body was thrown into a wall and stayed there, about two feet off the ground. Jade tried to scream but no sound left her lips, and it felt like she was slowly being suffocated. The demon from before, its smile too wide, the swirling darkness in its eyes seeming almost delighted to see her. "Hello again dearie," it said in a voice that reminded her of the grinding of machines. "Come to worship your new god?" The air was sucked from her lungs, and her back arched slightly as she squirmed in a desperate attempt to get some air in her.

While the demon was focused on Jade the other three entered. Oliver laid down a line of salt at the doorway, the only exit. No one else was going to get hurt by this. Oliver resisted the urge to just charge at the damn thing while his sister writhed.

The three tried to move towards it silently, yet the second they got close enough to actually do anything it whipped around and snarled. It dropped Jade to the ground and she gasped, clutching her throat. As it stepped forward to go after the three Jade pulled out a blade she had covered in holy water and lunged forward, stabbing it into the calf of the demon. It whipped around and kicked her like she was nothing, then continued, a limp barely noticeable.

Dean and Sam pulled out their guns, their jaws tightening. They each fired off a few rounds, and the demon jerked back, but didn't slow. It was as if the demon had no connection to the world, nothing to tie it down to the world. The physical attacks did nothing, even when they were augmented by holy water or salt. "Why the hell isn't this working?"

"The human souls! They're not hurt by holy water," Sam said, eyes going wide. To the best of their knowledge there wasn't anything that could attack a human soul, besides the human's life, or afterlife in the case of Sam's damage. It wasn't like they could conjure the experience of an entire life and force the souls to experience that, so they were stuck just continually filling the demon with more bullets as it steadily approached.

"Remind me why your angel friend didn't come?" Oliver demanded as he reached into his bag to get our supplies for a spell. He hesitated through, but his face hardened into cold resolve.

"Something about being busy with heaven. Who knows with him?" Dean said, not bothering to hide to tinge of anger in his voice. They were all in danger and Cas was busy with heaven again. Maybe if he weren't so busy Dean wouldn't be so concerned that they would all end up there shortly.

While they continued to fire, which seemed to have less and less effect with every passing moment,Dean glanced back at Oliver to see him kneeling on the ground, drawing a symbol that was all too familiar. It was the symbol on his arm, the one that was on all of the victims. "What are you doing Oliver?!" he demanded.

"You'll have to forgive me Dean, because you won't like it," Oliver said with a soft laugh, his eyes a bit teary. "But your job is about to get a lot easier." He said something else, something inaudible, yet Dean looked at him and didn't need to hear him or read his lips to know what he had said.

Dean hesitated, wanting to run towards Oliver make him explain more, to debate the risks with him but before he even had the opportunity to say another work Oliver had cut deep into his palm and pressed the dripping mess to the symbol, his tattoo glowing an ethereal purple, the symbol glowing a matching color as tendrils of light wrapped around Oliver's arm like a gauntlet.

From the corner where Jade was struggling to get up her tattoo was glowing an identical color, the symbol shining through her clothes. "Oliver, no…" She wanted to stop him, she knew what he was doing, but it was far too late. All she could do was watch as her brother cast the spell, possibly the last one he would ever cast.

"Let my friends go you fuck!" Oliver demanded, standing up. His body was hunched over, looking like a wolf on prowl. He held his arm out, blood dripping to the ground. The light reached out to demon, drawing closer and closer slowly.

"You think you have any power over a god?! You're only a witch you idiot! You're weak, pathetic!" The demon grinned at him and began to charge forward, but stopped just inches from Oliver's hand. The light had reversed, but it was concentrated now, like a gun primed to fire.

"Yes, I am weak," Oliver said, speaking in just his own voice now. "But my friends, the ones whose fucking souls you ate?! The ones inside of you right now?! Oh you fucked up honey."

The look of confusion that passed over the demon's face changed as it jerked back, and one the light hit it, wrapping around its throat. Oliver grunted, stepping forward and touching his fingers to its throat and curling them upwards. One by one three souls left the demon's body, each one causing it to lurch and choke.

"Have fun being a regular demon you bitch," Oliver spat out, but just seconds later lost all strength in his body and hit the ground. In the few seconds he had before his eyes shut he looked up at Dean. "It's alright sugar, you'll be gone before…"

"Oliver!" Dean called out, rushing to his side. He wasn't moving, was he breathing? Was he even alive? He reached to check for a pulse but was forcibly stopped by the collision of another body with his own. The demon had taken that moment to pounce on Dean, taking advantage of his vulnerable emotional state. Dean stared up at it, his eyes panicked.

"You think just because I'm a little weaker that you can win? That you'll get out of this alive? You're an idiot. Just a pathetic idiot," it said. It didn't say much more once Sam plunged the demon blade into it, its eyes flickering for a moment before it went limp and dropped down on top of Dean. He just laid there for a moment, shocked by how suddenly it had all ended, like there had never even been a threat to begin with. That had to come at a price.

Jade stood and walked over, looking drained as she had in her last encounter with the demon. "I didn't think Oliver would do that," she said quietly, looking down at where her brother lay limp. It was hard to see. "I told him it would be fucking stupid and he did it anyway."

Dean came to his senses and pushed the demon's corpse off of him. "What was that? Why isn't he moving?" he asked, looking up at Jade with wide eyes.

"Uh... it's a spell. The tattoo that we have, it wasn't just a friendship tattoo, or whatever bullshit he's been spouting about it. It bound our souls together, made us all more than family. It's why the demon was targeting our group, but Ollie didn't think it was important so…" She shifted on her feet, looking away from both Sam and Dean before continuing. "Oliver said that he could do a spell that could help the souls free themselves but... god, he said it might kill him. I didn't... I told him not to. Dean I told him fucking not to," she said as tears started to pour down her cheeks. Her brother had to be dead, there was no way he could have survived the spell and still be whole.

Sam wasn't as easily convinced as the other two. he knelt down and pressed two fingers to Oliver's neck, looking up at his brother and Jade. "There's a pulse. It's weak but there's a pulse," he said, looking at the two of them.

Jade licked her lips, a shaky sigh of relief leaving her. She looked at Dean, knowing the look in his eyes. It was the same way that Oliver looked at Dean.

"How long do they think until he gets up?"

"About a week," Jade said, looking at where her brother lay in a hospital bed. "He just really needs some time to rest and regain his strength."

Dean nodded, hating the fact that for the second time he was going to leave Oliver while he was asleep.

"Do you want a moment alone with him Dean?" Jade asked, looking up at him and raising her eyebrows.

"Uh... yeah. Yeah that would be good," Dean said and nodded. "Thanks."

Once Jade was gone he just looked down at Oliver. He sat, and reached out, taking Oliver's hand. "You know I would love to stick around, see how all of this turns out but... well there's a vampire nest out in Oklahoma that needs our attention. I want you to call me though, okay? Maybe I'll come back a bit sooner next time, we can go on an actual date. You're a sap, you'd like that." He leaned forward in his seat, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry you got hurt like this Oliver, you're a great guy, even if you are a witch."

Jade leaned against the wall outside of the hospital room, letting out a long sigh. Her shoulders slumped, showing how the complete chaos of the past few days had worn on her.

"So how long is it really going to be?"

She jumped, clasping a hand over her chest. "Sam, Jesus you scared me," she said, obviously more than just a little jumpy. "And what do you mean?"

"Your brother ripped three souls out of a demon. There is no way it's just a few days of recovery," Sam said and folded his arms. "So how long is he really going to be out?"

Jade shifted on her feet, looking down at the ground. "They said I should just look into funerals now, if you really want the truth," she admitted, running a hand over her face. "I just don't want Dean to beat himself up, and maybe if I keep saying that he's going to be okay he really will be."

Sam nodded, then just pulled her into a hug. He set a hand on the back of her head, gently holding her close. He knew what it was like to lose a brother, but he knew that for Jade there wasn't going to be a long quest to bring her brother back, because he was still here physically.

She stayed there for awhile, finding that she desperately needed to be held in that moment. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest, feeling safe there. She didn't want to ever move away from him. When she heard the door open she pulled away from Sam, doing her best to hide the fact she was nearly crying.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows and looking between them, his signature smirk on his lips.

"It was a hug Dean," Sam said, raising his arms slightly and dropping them to his sides.

"So is that a yes?"

Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Let's get going."

Dean nodded, then turned to Jade. "You stay safe, okay? Look out for Oliver too, make sure he doesn't pull anymore stunts like that."

Jade nodded, forcing her face to stay neutral when he brought Oliver up. "I will Dean, stay safe out there okay?"

"Sure," he said and smiled at her, setting a hand on her shoulder for a moment before leaving.

When his brother left Sam hung back a moment. He turned to Jade, handing her a slip of paper. "This is my phone number, if you need anything call, okay?"

"Okay," Jade said and nodded, a thin smile on her lips. "You be safe out there, and call me too if you need anymore distractions. I think I did a pretty good job at that."

The younger Winchester brother nodded, laughing softly. "Bye Jade," he said, then followed the elder out. None of them knew if they would ever see each other again, but deep down they each hoped for it.


End file.
